Not the Only One
by ItsNotOver777
Summary: He laid her against the wall on the cold floor, and tapped her forehead with his two fingers. As he pulled away, in her last efforts she grasped his hand, as a single tear fled her eye, her hand slowly losing grip and falling into her lap as she went off into slumber, never to see him again. The man rose, cast his eyes to the sky, then took off. "Looks like its going to rain."
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

A/N - This is my first fan fiction, so please feel free to give constructive criticism in the reviews. (: The setting is shortly after the Pein vs Naruto arc. The story does not exactly follow the story line, but still has the main plot points in the original story. This first Chapter may be short but it is just an intro, I intend to make chapters longer after this. Please enjoy. (:

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"Konoha?" The female teen said with the slightest of curiosity.

"That is the village where you will find him, I expect you to carry out your mission there, you already know the details." The Akatsuki member said, his low voice resounding throughout the empty halls. The female sighed, a sadness in her eyes as they continued down the echoing halls. She then gave a hesitant nod as they neared the exit.

Once they came to a stop, the man gave his last goodbye to his distant relative, in whom he had grown feelings for. As his feet began to adjust to take off, he felt a tug at his cloak. He began to hear the quietest of sobs. He turned to face his relatives face covered in tears, a sight he did not want to see.

"I-Isn't there another way, Onii-san?" She said choking on her many tears.

"I am afraid not, either way, I will die sooner or later, I do not regret my decision." He said, his chest hurting with each word he said.

"We will find a way, we can find someone to heal you! We can-" She then began to collapse, the man being able to catch her, held her in his arms, looking down on her with his sharingan eyes which had cast a genjutsu on the teen.

"Now sleep, and when you wake up, you know what you have to do."

He layed her against the wall on the cold floor, and tapped her forehead with his two fingers. As he pulled away, in her last efforts she grasped his hand lightly, as a single tear fled her eye, her hand slowly losing grip and falling into her lap as she went off into slumber, never to see him again. The man stood up and cast his eyes to the sky as he took off.

"Looks like its going to rain."

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"Sakurrraaaaaa! Ramen! I want ramen!" The yellow haired hero complained.

"You know just because you saved the village doesn't mean you get to slack off during reperations! Ramen this, ramen that! Thrust your enthusiam towards something else, like repairing the village!" Sakura said slowly losing her temper.

"I hear ramen has lots of nutrients, dattebayo! Maybe if I grab a bowl it will replenish my-"

Naruto's body then proceeded to fly into a half rebuilt house, making the building cave in. Naruto found himself out of the rubble, and apologized to the upset workers, who were sure to forgive the hero quickly.

"Sakuraaaa! What was that for?!" He said with an innocent whine as he rubbed his cheek, now with imprints of Sakura's knuckles. Sakura took notice of the curious stares from the villagers who had witnessed her bout of rage, which made her feel embarassed.

"Ahhhh! Sorry,sorry! You see it was an accident!" She spoke nervously to Naruto with beads of sweat running down the sides of her head.

"Accident my ass!" Naruto said, catching her in her own lie. But Naruto made contact with her evil glare, and immediately stopped protesting.

"Uhhh, yeah it was an accident. Dont worry about it." Naruto said out of fear to his companion. The crowd looked on confusingly at the two, but then soon returned to work after the awkwardness had passed.

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After hours of hard work, the sun began to set on the horizon. Everyone began to halt their work and decided to call it a day. Sakura had already gone home, so there was no fun in staying for Naruto. He then went to a makeshift Icharaku Ramen restaurant, which consisted of foldable tables, chairs, and the Ramen itself.

It was now night in Konoha, and as Naruto began leaving, he couldn't help but look at the beautiful silhouette of the night sky and it's stars. As he looked up, he realized how at peace he was after the storm he encountered had blown away. His daydreaming then halted as he felt as if a strange presence was looking at him. He moved his head straight forward and his eyes encountered a figure wearing a hooded cloak, similar to the Akatsuki cloak design, but not exactly the same print.

Naruto decided to move toward the figure, when something stopped him completely in his feet. Underneath the shade of the cloak the figure was wearing, its eyes began to open slowly, revealing a distinct feature of the Uchiha. Blood red eyes met with blue. He gasped as his mind raced with thousands of thoughts.

No way. No way... Is that... Sharingan? Can it be? Is it really him? Is it really...

"Sasuke?"

As Naruto uttered the name, the figure began to run towards the woods outside of Konoha. Naruto began to run after the figure, hoping in his mind, that this person could be Sasuke.

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"Yo, Sasuke can we get a move on? I'm dying for a fight!" Suigetsu asked, proudly bearing his shark like teeth at him.

"Suigetsu, that is no way to talk to my Sasu- Er, I mean, Sasuke!" Karin said annoyingly as blush ran across her face.

Sasuke looked toward the two, signalling that they should shut up and listen, as he was in a relaxed position, leaning against the wall.

" Here's the plan. We head to the Land of Iron, and infiltrate the Kage Summit that will ensue in a couple days. Karin, you need to make sure we are untraceable until we reach our target, got it?"

"Yes, I would do anything you want Sasuke-kun." Karin said with determination as she grabbed hold of his arm and hugged it, though her gesture was soon rejected as Sasuke shook her firm grasp off of his arm.

"Sorry Karin, but Sasuke is only interested in one Uzumaki, if you know what I mean." Suigetsu said jokingly as he pulled her away from Sasuke. Sasuke then shot a look that read " Shut up now or I am going to kill you."

"I-I was only joking Sasuke, you know me." Suigetsu exclaimed nervously as he inched towards Sasuke a few feet away, but he was soon frozen in his tracks. "What the hell is this, Sasuke?"

"I'm not doing it idiot!" Sasuke said annoyed as he tried to move and soon realized Suigetsu was not the only one who could not move. No one was able to move. As Karin and Suigetsu freaked out, Juugo and Sasuke kept calm. Sasuke began to think.

Shit, what is this? A genjutsu? This presence, it seems familiar. Okay think how do I get out of this? How did I even get in this anyway?

Sasuke calmed his breathing and spoke in a calm raised voice " Whoever you are, come out and show your face!"

A minute passed, and you could begin to hear faint footsteps down the hallway of Taka's hideout. As the steps inched closer an closer, Karin showed a shock stricken face.

Sasuke then asked hurriedly " Who is it, Karin?"

"It's... It's..."

The figure then revealed itself, coming out of the dark hallway. Sasuke's eyes grew wide in disbelief as he looked at the unknown cloaked character.

" An Uchiha."

The figure with Sharingan eyes continued to walk towards Sasuke. Sasuke began to believe he would be seriously hurt if he didn't escape the strong genjutsu the Ninja had cast, but he failed to find any possible loopholes.

Once the figure reached Sasuke, he looked deep into it's eyes with a confident smirk, putting up a front to hide his nervousness. The Ninja looked right back at Sasuke, but what Sasuke had not expected was eyes filled with sympathy. Sasuke wondered why the eyes reminded him of someone who understood exactly what he has gone through. He wondered why those eyes showed no intentions for violence.

The figure then leaned in towards Sasuke and whispered 10 unforgettable words in Sasuke's ear, " Is this what Itachi would want, or what you want?"

The figure then began to back away, but not before leaving with a goodbye gesture. It lifted its hand and pointed its middle and index finger from its lightly fisted hands. Its hand reached closer to the raven haired teen's forehead above his widened eyes, and tapped it with it's two fingers. The figure then faded away before Sasuke, and team Taka realized the Genjutsu had been released.

Sasuke then inched back toward the wall in disbelief, his back thudded against the wall as his body fell to the ground. Team Taka looked at him in shock. His breathing became short pants, and his face was now covered in sweat. Sasuke soon realized that he was put into yet another genjutsu, which consisted of him and his brother when he was younger. All his good memories of Konoha, all his friends, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi... All the good times.

"Sorry, Sasuke, maybe next time."

"We both knew, even though we never said it, that we were... friends."

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Sorry I'm late!"

" Is this what Itachi would want, or what you want?"

Sasuke then fell to his side, his breathe began to calm, and he drifted off into sleep.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!" Karin exclaimed.

"Karin its okay, he is just under a genjutsu, he will wake up ina couple of hours." Suigetsu said reassuringly.

"What about the mission?"

"That will have to wait." Juugo said as he made his way to the sleeping Uchiha.

Juugo then picked up Sasuke and slung him over his shoulder, leading Sasuke to his room. He kicked the door open and lay Sasuke on his bed and positioned him in a comfortable position. As Juugo stepped towars the door, he found himself listening to Sasuke's sleep talk.

"Naruto... Kakashi... Sakura... I've missed you."

Juugo could not believe his ears and turned to check on the passed out Uchiha. Juugo witnessed something truly astonishing that day, something in which he had never seen in his life.

An Uchiha's smile.

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Intro. End


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

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"Step two, gather information." The sharingan bearer said, entering the trees at a fast pace, making sure to keep a rate in which the yellow haired nin could keep up.

"Sasuke, is that you bastard?"

Silence.

"Answer me!"

Silence.

After Naruto gave up on talking to the anonymous ninja, it came to an abrupt stop. Naruto surveyed the place they had stopped. A grass feild surrounded the two, the moon and stars illuminating each blade of grass, a circle of trees surrounding them, and silence other than the slight breeze ensuing.

This person? Who exactly is he? Naruto thought. He tried to indicate the chakra emitting from the ninja, and noticed that whoever this person was, it was not Sasuke. It was someone stronger. As he was about to finish his chakra indication, he found a power, resembling a jinchurriki, though more controlled. Naruto couldn't help but gasp at this newfound information, but soon regained his composure, as he did so, he retrieved a kunai from its holster and hid it in his sleeve. Naruto knew that "mysterious" ninja's moves were unpredictable, so with this experience he knew to be cautious. Naruto then closed his eyes, and then looked at the figure once again with his cerulean eyes which had two furrowed brows above them, and spoke, voice deep, " Who are you?!"

Silence.

"That's it!"

Naruto charged at the figure, and presented the kunai in hand as he did so. As he came close to the figure, he hurled the kunai in its direction. The figure evaded the kunai with one swift step to the side. Naruto then witnessed speed at a rate which was incomprehensible. As the kunai had been speeding past the figure, it outstretched it's arm behind itself and caught the kunai, which had been thrown, in midair. The kunai was then redirected towards Naruto with lightening speed and hit. Naruto then dissipated into thin air, indicating the use of a shadow clone.

"A shadow clone, huh?" The figure whispered to itself as it recognized the presence of Naruto above and all around.

"Kage Bunshin No Justu!" (Shadow Clone Jutsu)

All clones cast began an attack on the figure, but one by one, they would crash down after two moves made by the ninja. Dodge. Hit. Dodge. Hit. Dodge. Hit. As the Naruto clone count became fewer and fewer, Naruto had been able to form a rasengan out of sight and charged behind the ninja while it was distracted. Once Naruto reached his target, he thrust his arm forward, closing his eyes as he let out a power scream.

"Rasengan!"

When nothing hit, Naruto took notice of a grasp around his wrist.

"Shit."

Naruto was hurled forward and landed his rasengan into a crowd of shadow clones. His rasengan dissipating the clones, and digging itself into the ground. This action left the real Naruto on the floor, slightly injured.

Naruto knew there was only one way to overpower the ninja, although he did not like it. He would have to summon Kyuubi. Naruto closed his eyes in attempt to summon Kyuubi, but to his surprise he came to find the Kyuubi chakra inside him dormant. His eyes widened, as he replayed the events of the fight in which he might find a reason for the dormant chakra inside of him. He could not find one. In an attempt to get up, he realized that his body was in a frozen state and that it was impossible to move, which added to his questions.

"What did you do you bastard?!" Naruto said in an outburst of anger. In an attempt to get up, he realized that his body was in a frozen state and that it was impossible to move, which added to his anger.

"It's only temporary, Naruto." The figure said, revealing that she was indeed, a female.

"How do you know my name?!"

"I scanned you."

"What the hell does scan mean?"

"While fighting you, I entered your mind and body and took a look inside your memories and thoughts. If you were wondering, that was when I was able to deactivate the Kyuubi chakra inside of you temporarily."

"What do you want from me?"

"Your help."

Naruto stopped to think. Who the hell does she think she is? If she wanted my help why didn't she just ask?

"To test your strength."

"Are you reading my mind?!"

"No, I guessed based on your expression. Eyes are windows to the soul afterall."

Naruto looked at the female with an annoyed look across his face. Why did she need him for help? Is it something he was involved in? Was it something that even mattered to him?

"What kind of "help" do you need exactly?"

"It involves Sasuke, your best friend."

Silence.

Naruto's mind scattered with memories of his friend. He took at deep breath and went on to look at the female ninja.

"How can I trust you? You won't even formally introduce yourself or show your face."

"Fine."

She reached for her hood and let it down. Her face identified with that of an Uchiha. Her skin was smooth and pale as it was lit up by the night sky. Her hair was as black as can be, with long bangs that accentuated her face shape, and naturally, her hair was straight from what Naruto had seen. Although she had features of an Uchiha, her eyes were unlike the typical Uchiha. Her eyes shone with the color of silver, not grey, silver. They were perfectly large and almond shaped. Naruto knew just by looking at them, a sadness was hidden deep within her. Above her eyes were eyebrows which had a light arch, but expressed signs of remorse in a way. Lastly, underneath her left eye was a beauty mark the size of a small dot.

Once Naruto caught a good glimpse of her face, he cast his eyes to her body, which was now revealed. She wore typical ninja attire. Her pants were those of a ninja, light grey with a black belt and a kunai holster tied to the left leg. Her top was a perfectly fitted dark blue sweater with the sleeves rolled to her elbows and the neckline being a v neck. Her arms were adorned with white bandages that seemed to start at the shoulders and down to her knuckles (like Rock Lee has). Naruto wondered why there was so many. The rest of her hair was revealed to be layered and stopped soon after where her waist is. Her attire came with the accessory of a necklace with a charm representing the Uchiha logo. Lastly, her sandals looked like any other ninjas, but other than blue, she had chosen black sandals. All in all, her look was considered average with the exception of the Uchiha charm.

As the Uchiha stood before him, he couldn't help but feel that this person was familiar to him. Of course she resembled Sasuke, but there was something else. Those eyes were something Naruto definitely would have remembered. Then it hit him. Could it really be who Naruto thought? Is this the girl from his past? Could it be...

"Fujiwara?"

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"Sasuke? Wakey Wakey. Saaasssuuuukeeeeeee."

"Leave him alone, Karin. There's still a few days until the Summit. We have time. Its only been a couple hours, It's still dark out."

"Rrrrrghh Suigetsu you- Ah, hes waking up, let's get out of here before he gets us in trouble!"

Once the members of Taka flooded out of the room, Sasuke found himself awake on his bed. As he got up he began to remember the events that had happened before he passed out. He placed his feet on the ground, so as to sit on the corner of the bed. Sasuke had dreamt about team 7, he admitted its been a while since memories came back to him like that in his dreams. A few minutes passed by with Sasuke just thinking, he then bent forward on his bed and placed his head into his hands. He remembered just how happy he used to be, and for the smallest amount of time, he felt regret. What was he really getting out of killing members of Konoha? Nothing would bring Itachi back, and that made Sasuke want to fill the void somehow, but would revenge really do the trick? He needed something to make him feel at peace. Maybe he needed his fr-

"What the hell am I thinking?"

Sasuke got up and proceeded to the door. He let out a deep sigh, placed his head on the handle, and stepped out of his room. There he found Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo waiting outside the his door.

"So Sasuke, what time we leaving?" Suigetsu asked.

"Be ready by daylight."

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"Want some ramen?" Naruto asked holding out a cup of newly prepared ramen towards Fujiwara.

"Thank you very much." Fujiwara said as she grasped the cup in her cold hands.

After Naruto had found out the identity of his childhood friend, he invited her over to chat about why she needed help. Naruto remembered being smaller and getting beat on countlessly. One time, when Naruto was near the Uchiha reserve, he found himself getting beaten to a pulp by much older Uchiha kids. Then BAM! Little Fujiwara came in and bicycle kicked one of the kids right in the face. Once the kids came to realize that the girl was the feared Fujiwara they began to scramble for their lives.

"Ahahaha look at em' they are scrambling like eggs!" Little Fujiwara said, bursting with laughter. She then reached down to little Naruto and grabbed his hand to help him up.

"You okay? What's your name? I'm Fujiwara Uchiha, the next hokage!"

Naruto looked at the girl with sad eyes. Her eyes softened and beckoned him to come sit with her on a nearby rock. Once he got on the rock, he brought his knees to his chest and began sulking.

"Hey, its okay! Y'know what? I'll walk you home to make sure those bullies won't hurt you!" Fujiwara said as she got up from the rock and held out her hand for Naruto to hold. Naruto looked at her nervously and held out his hand to meet hers. She yanked him next to her and they began walking the path towards his house.

"I- I'm Naruto." He said looking the other way, too embarassed to show his face.

"Hmmm, Naruto, that's a nice name!"

Naruto blushed and looked down at the ground.

"So, Naruto where exactly is your parents' house?" She said not knowing of Naruto being an orphan.

"I... live alone." Naruto said with hesitation in his speech.

Silence.

"Hey, since you live alone, maybe I can come over to play with you sometime?" She said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Really? You'd wanna hang out with me?"

"Why not, you're my age right?"

"I guess so, I am six like you are... It's just... Nevermind."

"So.. you gotta crush Naruto?" She said casting him a mischevious smile.

"I... Uhh... No.." He said with his cheeks blushing once again.

"You should get one. I even have a crush, wanna know who?" She said as her face began turning red.

Naruto nodded.

"Sasuke Uchiha! We have never talked, but I plan to gather my courage and speak to him tomorrow!"

"Ehhhhhh, him?! How does he get all the ladies, that bastard!" Naruto said with enthusiasm, which was a first for Fujiwara to see.

"Bahahaha! You're funny, Naruto!"

"Hahaha!"

Naruto had tried to hold back his laughter, but when he was around her, he felt at ease. Naruto hadn't laughed or had even smiled genuinely until that day, the day he met Fujiwara.

Once they approached the apartment Naruto lived in, it was time to say goodbye. As they said goodbye they had promised to meet up the next day and play. For once in his life, Naruto had hopes for tomorrow, and he fell asleep with a smile plastered on his face. Little did he know about the clan massacre that had taken place as he had drifted into sleep that night.

The next day came, Fujiwara didn't.

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"I thought you were dead." Naruto said looking down at his half eaten ramen.

"I'm sorry." Fujiwara said with remorse woven into her voice. Her ramen cup still being used as a hand warmer.

"Are you cold?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"A little, but I'm alri-"

Before Fujiwara could finish, Naruto had already gotten up to go get a blanket from the closet. Once he got back, he was carrying the biggest, fluffiest blanket he could find in his arms. He kneeled behind her and began wrapping her in blanket around her shoulders and covering her in the front as well. After he was done, he sat next her smiling proudly.

"You didn't have-"

"Shhhh. Its my turn to help you, Fujiwara."

Naruto looked at her, her face covered in blanket. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her bundled up like a baby. And before they knew it, they had both started laughing. After they finished their last slurps of ramen, Naruto had turned the atmosphere around with a serious question.

"What happened... that night, if I may ask?"

Silence.

"It's a long story."

Naruto turned towards Fujiwara and looked deep into her eyes. He couldn't describe how grateful he was to her for everything she had done, so he decided to settle with two heartfelt words.

"Before you start Fujiwara... may I say something."

"Sure, Naruto."

"...Thank you."

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A/N- Next up: Fujiwara tells her side of the story from the massacre and how she survived. Also, she describes the mission given to her.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey, its been a while! But here is another chapter! (:

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"Ready to know?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Okay, here I go... Sharingan!"

Naruto fell into the arms of Fujiwara, she set him on the couch, sat on the floor next to it, and began to wait.

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"Man what is up with all the Uchiha emotional crap?"

"That is no way to talk about our leader, Suigetsu! They are just passionate, that's all! Yeah, passionate about family, passionate about friends, passionate in bed- uh they are just passionate overall okay?"

"I guess it's a blessing and a curse, huh? To be that loyal, it must hurt y'know? First you are an Uchi-ha-ha-ha..."

Suigetsu began to make the facial expression of a laughing Uchiha, while Karin showed her annoyance through the clench of her jaw and balling of her fists.

"... but then you're an Uchi-wah-wah-waOWW!"

In the midst of his attempt to imitate a crying Uchiha, Karin had interrupted his actions with a fist to the back of his head. She was not pleased to find the result of her hit would get her totally soaked. This was a fascinating representation of what Karma had done to the angered red head.

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Naruto opened his eyes and realized that Fujiwara's Genjutsu had worked. The plan was simple, Fujiwara put Naruto under a Genjutsu that would show him her past. In his mind it would be hours, but in reality, it would only be a few minutes. He had a third person view of her past, and he began to pay attention to the events unraveling in front of him.

 _"Mom! Guess what! Guess what!"_

 _Fujiwara was tugging lightly on her mom's sleeve, and her mom showed no annoyance toward the act, but a sort of reluctance. But after a while, she responded with a kindness in her voice._

 _"Yes, honey. What is it?"_

 _" I met a boy today!"_

 _"Oh really? What was he like?" Her mother said, as a smile began to tug at her lips._

 _"Hmmmm, well you know Sasuke Uchiha? He is sort of the exact opposite!"_

 _Her mother laughed at the comparison, but gestured her to keep going._

Naruto had a smile on his face as he watched tiny Fujiwara rave about him. He was surprised that she had disregarded the fact that everyone was told to ignore him. He was surprised to know that she considered him a friend. But he knew what was going to happen next, and he wasn't too excited to see.

 _Fujiwara finished her story of how she and Naruto met and she moved toward a baby that was sleeping in his crib. She leaned down and planted a light kiss on his forehead._

 _"Don't wake your brother, Fujiwara! I know you love to smother him but he is finally asleep!" Her mother yelled in caution from the kitchen as she made her way to her room. Where she stayed for a while, practicing basic ninja techniques._

 _Suddenly, all the lights in the house went out. Fujiwara found this strange, not only was she suspicious but she had that horrible feeling in her stomach._

 _She heard a loud thud that had reached her room. Without thinking, or even second guessing, Fujiwara charged straight through her room door and out to the kitchen._

 _She ran into the kitchen with full speed, afraid that her mother may be in danger. She had heard of the tension between the Uchiha clan and Konoha, and she had the feeling that these events had something to do with it. As she leaped forward, she found herself on the ground._

 _She had slipped on a liquid substance that had the texture of blood, but she was too in denial to confirm it. As she got up, the moonlight began to trickle in through the kitchen windows, and Fujiwara saw the sight of her mother, lying on the ground, traumatized eyes open, with a clean, deep slit on her throat._

Naruto gasped, and for a moment, he had to tear his eyes away from the sight of the mother. After a moment he began to watch again, and found himself surprised once again. What he saw, was Fujiwara, who without thought, darted to her brother's room.

 _As Fujiwara made her way to her brother's room, she had to wipe the tears that involuntarily fled from her eyes._

 _She burst into her brother's room and flew to his crib. She sighed in relief when she caught sight of her brother who was still sound asleep. However, this was not the only thing she had caught sight of._

 _She quickly turned and met eyes with the man who was the culprit of her mother's death. Sharingan eyes met silver ones. And just like that, Fujiwara knew who it was._

 _"Itachi?"_

 _The ninja moved into the light flooding from the window. and revealed himself. Blood covered his clothes. Remorse covered his face. Fujiwara was a top notch analyzer for her age, and she knew from his expression, that his actions were not of his own will. So why would he do this?_

 _She began to piece together information. Thoughts crowded her mind._

 _Itachi is a powerful ninja. The Uchiha clan is on bad terms with Konoha. The scent of blood lingered throughout the area, not just in her house. War would be a bad idea, considering the situation of the village. Itachi serves the Hokage as an Anbu member. Anbu carry out the dirty work._

 _Bingo._

 _"The Hokage... He sent you to do this... didn't he?"_

 _Her words came out confident. So confident, it sent Itachi back a step. But because he was an Uchiha, he regained his composure in an instant._

 _He cast his glance towards the crib, and Fujiwara knew exactly what his plans were. Knowing that, she began to hyperventilate._

 _"Please! Please, spare him!" Her shouts echoed throughout the house, the desperation was in her face, the worry was in her eyes, and the sadness was flowing on her cheeks._

 _She picked up her brother and held him to her. She fell to the ground and quietly sobbed onto her brothers blanket, her body now shaking. She noticed the feet she saw before her, and cast her eyes upwards. She already knew his power, she already they were going to die, and she said the last of her pleads._

 _"Please, let me say goodbye."_

 _Itachi gave a nod, and watched her caress her brother's chubby face one last time. She attempted to stifle her tears, and began to speak._

 _"There, there, little brother."_

 _Itachi cocked an eyebrow at this notion._

 _"No matter what, your sister's here to protect you."_

 _This is when Fujiwara noticed the clank of a sword hit the ground. She closed her eyes in fear and held her brother close._

 _Was this it for her?_

 _After a few seconds passed, she noticed she was still not dead. She looked up to find the face of vulnerability, the face of despair, and eyes filled with tears that were about to fall. But before falling, Itachi held his face to hide the weakness that spilled from his eyes. He sat there a few moments, taking in what he had done._

 _"I'm sorry." he said as he cast a Genjutsu on Fujiwara, who began to topple over and gradually fall unconscious._

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Naruto's eyes fluttered open. He took notice of his position on the couch, and the fact that his body was sweating while his eyes were watery.

He frantically turned his head from side to side, searching for Fujiwara. After having no luck in finding her, he began to panic and threw his feet off the couch and onto the ground. Except, his feet weren't touching the ground.

He looked down and found his feet on a soft blanket. His eyes began to wander across the blanket. And that's when he found her, sleeping.

She was in the fetus position, curled up in a ball of blanket, her hands and feet protruding from it. Her hair lay splayed out on the floor in chunky swirls, with the moonlight illuminating her figure.

Naruto took a glance at the clock, and was surprised to see only three minutes had passed since Fujiwara cast the Genjutsu.

"She must be tired." Naruto whispered to himself.

Although he had many questions, he did not want to wake the pale Uchiha. After contemplating the options, he decided to save those questions for tomorrow.

After giving a sigh, he bent down and hooked his arms underneath Fujiwara, and lifted the girl. As he carried her to his bed, he noticed Fujiwara had her grip on his shirt. He realized the complication that occurred as he set her down, her hand was still grabbing hold to his shirt.

He knelt at the side of the bed in an uncomfortable position for a while before he decided to try and break her grip on his shirt. After some gentle pulling he managed to pull her hand off of him, but just before he let go of her hand, her expression tensed up and her clench was now on his hand.

"Please don't leave me." She pleaded, as she tightened her grip.

Naruto knew that those words weren't directed towards him, but to someone in her dream. Knowing this, he still decided to sit on the floor at her beside.

Still holding her hand.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto woke up to the sound of the shower running. He noticed that instead of sitting on the floor, he was lying in his bed, neatly tucked in. Although he would have wanted a pleasant awakening, he would have to make due with a running shower at six in the morning. Who was in his house anyway?

 _Was it a hobo?_

 _Was it someone he knew?_

 _Who the hell was in his house?!_

"It's me, Fujiwara!"

Naruto jumped at the shout that boomed from the shower.

"Oh, yeah...The Uchiha girl... the girl I knew... the girl who's past I saw...Wait."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sasuke emerged from his room to meet his team mates. Without saying a word, Sasuke began to walk toward the exit of the hideout. As the awkward shuffling continued, his teammates waited for the game plan to be said.

Silence.

The silence had become unbearable for one shark-like teammate, and he decided to break it.

"Sooo... what's the plan?" Suigetsu asked nervously, not wanting to trigger the already flustered Uchiha.

Silence.

"Sasu-"

"We... We are going to see that other Uchiha."

"Why? Sasuke-ku-"

"Because shut up, that's why."

Karin and Suigetsu stopped in shock of Sasuke's extra hostile personality.

Juugo continued to walk behind Sasuke and gave a glance back at the two. His expression said it all.

 _"Really?"_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fujiwara emerged from the bathroom in a black t-shirt, and khaki colored shorts. Her shirt was spotted with wetness, indicating she had not taken the time to dry her long, dripping hair.

In search for Naruto, she headed for the kitchen, where she found him in deep thought. Without even searching his mind, she had a good idea about what he was thinking about.

She slowly crept up behind the yellow haired teen and knelt before his backside. Her eyes went focus and her fingers imitated a crab's claws. Her fingers inched near his bottom and made contact with a pinch.

Naruto jumped out of his seat and squealed in shock and began rubbing his butt over his pants. He turned to the sight of Fujiwara silently laughing.

"What the hell! Why?!" Naruto said in a playful betrayed voice. Fujiwara regained her composure, and cleared her throat.

"I like butts. You know old ladies who pinch young men's butts. I'm convinced I will most definitely become one of those ladies." She said, all seriousness in her voice.

Now it was Naruto's turn to laugh. He burst into tears at her flat out statement and held his stomach which was now hurting from laughter. Naruto didn't know when, but he noticed that Fujiwara had also begun laughing her silent laugh once again.

After their fit of laughter, Fujiwara took a look at the time and came up with an idea.

"What do you say we go get breakfast and I'll explain everything you want to know?" She said directing her gaze towards the Uzumaki teen.

"Sounds like a plan." Naruto said with a smile.

"Do you know a good place to eat?"

"I know the perfect place."

Naruto took her by the hand after they put on their shoes and headed to the one place he had in mind. Ichiraku. He couldn't wait to get a good bowl of ramen. But even more, he couldn't wait to get the answers he was looking for.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 3 End


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Wow! It's been two years. I apologize for the long absence due to me finishing up my school. I plan to finish this story no matter what! I also plan to update previous chapters as well! My update schedule will consist of updating 2 to 4 times a month.**

 **P.S This is where the story will branch off from the original anime plot so be prepared!**

 **P.P.S I do not own Naruto! Enjoy! (:**

* * *

Kakashi was gone for a grand total of 24 hours for repair supplies and already he could feel another plot thickener enter the scene of the now destroyed Konoha. An unfamiliar chakra signature laden with Uchiha scents. As he entered the in-progress gates of Konoha, there was no time for rest, a.k.a reading his favorite por-uh novel…

With Tsunade unconscious and the possibility of her temporary replacement by the hands of Danzo, Kakashi couldn't help but feel the trouble was far from over at this point. If he was going to get to the bottom of the recent odd events occurring around him, he would have to start with the unknown chakra that accompanied an all too familiar recent hero's chakra.

The trouble was gone but was it really? As he flew over rooftops, Kakashi couldn't ignore the beads of sweat that formed above his brows in contrast to the growing cold weather.

* * *

"Ramen?!" Fujiwara gasped.

"Ramen!" Naruto replied.

"How'd you know I love ramen?"

"Who doesn't?" Naruto chuckled lightly.

As Fujiwara and Naruto made their way to an empty table Naruto exchanged greetings with the middle aged man and his daughter behind their cooking station. Fujiwara's lips tugged into a gentle smile, bringing back a flood of memories repressed for such a long time. Without faltering from her excited persona, Fujiwara took a seat next to Naruto, ordering before Naruto could make out a single utterance.

"Two Pork Cutlet Bowls! Extra pork slices and crab cakes please!"

Fujiwara ordered confidently and eagerly, taking in the flabbergasted expression plastered on Naruto's whiskered face. If only things didn't turn out how they did, she thought, then maybe moments like these wouldn't feel like something new. Would she have been happy if that fated day was nothing but a dream? Would she be surrounded with friends like Naruto? Would her brother be-

Fujiwara repressed her thoughts.

"How did you do that?! It's uncanny! Now I am convinced you can read minds!"

While saying that, Naruto gave his best impression of a telekinetic witch at work quite goofily.

After giving a lighthearted laugh, Fujiwara rested her elbow on the table and placed her chin on her palm shooting Naruto a sideways smirk.

"I had an inkling." She said with the smoothest playful voice indicative of an Uchiha.

In that moment, Naruto was at a loss for words. Was it the lack of oxygen he was feeling? Was it the fluttering feeling in his stomach? The irregularity of his heartbeat? Whatever it was, Naruto's face had begun to flush a pink-red color and his ability to string together a cohesive sentence had been replaced with short incomprehensible stutters.

" Fu- Ah… So…."

That damned smile, Naruto thought.

A hint of amusement played at Fujiwara's eyes as her eyes darted in the direction of their newly arrived food.

"Yum!" She said heartily as she proceeded to lift her chopsticks with her left hand.

Being observant as he was, Naruto snapped out of his spell and noticed the hand with which Fujiwara held her chopsticks. Pale fingertips and reddened knuckles, with traces of scarring. As much as he wanted to ask about his findings, he settled for a softball question regarding her hands.

"You're a lefty?" Naruto inquired.

Fujiwara stopped filling her mouth, now conscious of her left hand. She bit off her remaining ramen noodles, set the chopsticks down and brought her hand close to her face, opening and closing the appendage in front of her.

"I wouldn't say that, since I use my right hand as well. Uhh, what's the word for having both hands be dominant? Ah, Ambidextrous would be the correct term," she said now speculating both of her hands tentatively.

Naruto couldn't believe the similarities she held with a certain long lost ninja. He had so many questions regarding her mission that he didn't know where to start. Does she know where he is? Has she been in contact with him? Why here, why now? His hands clenched at his thighs as Naruto stared down into his uneaten bowl of ramen and Fujiwara took notice right away.

In an effort to comfort him, Fujiwara, with uncertainty, inched closer to Naruto's side and made a comforting reach for his shoulder when her sympathetic gesture was interrupted.

"Don't touch him! Naruto get back!" the gray haired Jonin exclaimed as he began to make a reach for his headband.

Fujiwara paused her well intentioned gesture and stared daggers into the Jonin's mismatched eyes. Kakashi was taken aback by her ferocity but nonetheless charged forwards towards the now standing Uchiha.

"Kakashi-sensei wait!"

Before Naruto could stop Kakashi, he already had the conforming Uchiha on the floor with a kunai to her neck and his legs straddling her middle.

Kakashi was surprised by her little resistance, actually, she had not resisted at all. Although slim, judging by his ease positioning on top her body, she had the body and chakra of a powerful ninja. He caught a glimpse of her eyes and gasped inwardly at the unchanged, unfazed obsidian orbs staring directly at him, analyzing him. As strong willed as he was, it took him all his might not to break the stare down occurring in front of questioning passers-by and restaurant attendees.

"Don't move Naruto! She's dangerous!" Kakashi said breaking the tension filled silence still holding the Kunai close to her neck which had pierced her skin ever so slightly, causing a trickle of blood to run over the blade.

Naruto was frozen in his steps. Why the hell wasn't she defending herself? Naruto knew full well that Fujiwara could handle her own when it came to Kakashi but she didn't dare take action. So there she was, lying there looking as defenseless as an ordinary Konoha citizen.

Naruto threw whatever questions were going on in his head away and came to the simple conclusion that if she wasn't going to do something, he would. However, before Naruto could even move an inch, Fujiwara shifted her stare towards Naruto giving him a look that said to back off. If put into to words, it would be along the lines of…

 _'Let me handle this, Naruto. Don't worry.'_

Naruto decided to trust Fujiwara and reluctantly let the following theatrics proceed, practically biting his nails in worry.

Returning her gaze to Kakashi she began to move her face towards his right ear, earning her a deeper growing slit from the hostile Kunai against her neck. The newfound crowd surrounding gasped. Surprised by the amount of blood dripping from her neck, Kakashi debated briefly on whether he should pull away, but continued to keep the kunai in place, still uncertain about her intentions.

"Dangerous?" she scoffed into his ear. "It seems I am not the only one who has done their fair share of killing…" she whispered referring to her current wound condition.

Kakashi gritted his teeth guiltily, inwardly questioning the direction in which the conversation was heading.

"You see, Kakashi, a ninja must see underneath the underneath," she continued, getting a cocked eyebrow in return. "If you are trying to help your former team then we share a common interest, if you can't see that can you really consider yourself the infamous copy-nin?"

The Uchiha continued to inch closer to Kakashi until she reach the closest possible proximity to the Jonin's ear and whispered a statement that shook Kakashi to the core.

 **"Would deceased Rin and Obito appreciate you doing this to a comrade?"**

Those words stung like hell for Kakashi. Even Naruto could feel it from where he was standing. The blonde ninja couldn't understand Fujiwara's sudden change of character. What happened to the Fujiwara he had associated with only minutes ago? But the bigger question was how in the hell did she know about sensitive information like that?

Eyes widening in disbelief at her insensitivity Naruto could no longer keep quiet in a situation as serious as this.

"Fujiwara that's too far!" Naruto said angrily, at his wit's end.

For a split second, one could detect the hurt in the Uchiha's eyes, but all emotional tension washed away when she began stifling coughs of blood evident by the red substance staining the inner corners of her lips. Leaving behind his morality, Naruto proceeded to push the stoic Kakashi off of Fujiwara and scooped her into his arms, holding her apologetically.

With every intention of seeking medical attention from Sakura, Naruto raced away from the restaurant with Fujiwara giving silent grabs and pats of protest in getting medical attention, unable to talk now due to the blood that infiltrated her throat and mouth. Naruto knew that if she really wanted to, she could escape from his arms without hesitation, but he knew after scolding her she wouldn't dare complicate things further without purpose.

The blood from Fujiwara's neck trickled into Naruto's orange jacket, prompting Naruto to gasp at the uncomfortable warmth that lay between her neck and his chest. He disregarded it quickly, frantically sprinting from place to place in search of the pink haired medical nin.

"Damn it Sakura where are you?!" Naruto cried out.

"She's with Tsunade." Kakashi replied from behind Naruto.

Being as panicked as he was, Naruto did not realize Kakashi had been following them in his pursuit to find Sakura. He was somewhat thankful to now have knowledge of his teammate's whereabouts. Naruto, however, stayed silent, as if to address his anger towards Kakashi's actions. And Kakashi abided by his silence and apologized by keeping silent as well.

* * *

Sakura looked out the small window provided in Tsunade's temporary resting area. After protecting the village, Tsunade collapsed form overexertion of her powers. Since that day, Sakura had taken it upon herself to tend to Tsunade while in her coma.

The tasks she took on weren't the most pleasant when it came to hygiene, but because she was a medic nin, these tasks seemed less horrible by the day. After fulfilling her duties, Sakura would take her place next to her Master and would conversate one-sidedly with her, as if to ease the strain of her current Master's state.

"Y'know Tsunade, Danzo is threatening to take over if you don't wake up soon. The village really needs a leader right now… they need you…" Sakura trailed off, uncertain if she was able to talk any longer without bursting into tears.

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes every single visit she made thus far, but not once had they successfully rolled over her sleep deprived eyesdown her pale cheeks.

Sakura knew that if Tsunade woke up, many troubles would still stand, but a part of her wanted to believe the troubles would be easier solved if she was there to guide the village and to guide her.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted when Kakashi's and Naruto's chakra signatures were detected by her superior chakra detecting skills. However, blood and a mysterious aura were also approaching at an urgent rate alongside her former team mates. And just like that, Sakura's excitement wasn't even given a chance to grow or die down.

In a few minutes at most, the predicted bodies belonging to the chakra burst through the doors of Tsunade's resting area. Sakura analyzed her teammates and her breath hitched when her eyes wandered towards the throat slit teen in Naruto's arms. Guilt covered Kakashi's figure along with the victim's blood and her eyes immediately turned accusatory towards her former sensei.

"Please heal her!" Naruto urged, bringing the victim closer to the medic.

Sakura gave a curt nod and directed Naruto to place her on the spare bed beside the still resting Tsunade.

As Sakura prepared her medical materials, Naruto and Kakashi looked on eagerly for Sakura to start her medical practice. Sakura's face grew with discontent as the two men looked on unwavering. As her face reddened she heaved in with her chest and began to scold the two.

"You perverts! How am I supposed to remove her clothes and heal her when two men are eyeballing her like this is some kind of peep show?!"

It took a couple seconds for Sakura's words to sink in before a collective blush entered their faces as they ran from their seats to outside of the medical room.

After she sighed, Sakura ghosted her healing hands over the unknown ninja's neck before her eyes widened with disbelief.

* * *

Kakashi and Naruto sat on some lumber outside in awkward silence before Kakashi released a troubled sigh. As if he was a bitter woman, Naruto pouted as his eyebrows knitted together angrily and his arms crossed in resentment.

"How dare you sigh! I should be the one sighing! She's my friend Kakashi I can't believe you would just pounce on her like you did!"

" Naruto, I-"

"Don't you 'Naruto' me! You have no idea how badly you misinterpreted the situation. I was in no danger! Nobody was in danger! So why? Why?"

"I-"

"You know what, save the apologies for Fujiwara, because once she's healed you are going in there and explaining yourself. If Fujiwara forgives you, maybe then I will consider being your friend again!"

 _Why do I feel like I am being scolded by a wife I don't have?_ Kakashi thought, making sure not to exude any other emotion but regret to tide over Naruto's anger.

Shortly after their one sided dispute, Sakura rushed out with the most perplexed look on her face. She rushed to Naruto's side with question bubbling in her throat, ready to burst. Naruto took in her looks of confusion and prepared to cut her off accordingly.

"Listen, Sakura… I know you have a lot of questions, unfortunately I can only give you one statement that you must believe. She is a comrade and she means no harm." Naruto stated in a serious tone.

Sakura gave him a frustrated look before letting out a heavy sigh. "I trust you Naruto."

"Is it safe to go in and talk to her?" Kakashi questioned.

Sakura nodded, scared that she doesn't completely trust Kakashi going in there by himself. As she made her way to follow him in, Naruto stopped her in her tracks, giving her a look of certain reassurance.

Sakura didn't quite understand what in the hell was going on, but she could tell that the subject was touchy, so she would have to restrain herself from her curiosity. However, there were a couple of things she needed to inform Naruto on that she just recently discovered about his female friend.

"Naruto I promise I won't question you about her. But I need to brief you on my findings as a medical ninja, since you are the one who brought her in," Sakura insisted.

Naruto gulped and nodded understandingly.

"When I tried to attempt to heal her, I found a barrier surrounded her outer and inner body. Making it impossible for me to work on her…" she sighed. "But that didn't seem to be the point of concern. My concern, Naruto, is that she heals at an uncanny rate. By the time I re-examined her neck laceration, it was already scarring over. In terms of healing…

 _… she's just like you."_

* * *

Chapter 4 End

Stay tuned for...

A rare Kakashi apology!

Tsunade wakes up?

Wth is going on with team Taka!


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello Viewers! (: I'm back at it again with the longest chapter yet! I hope you enjoy! Feel Free to Fav/Follow!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

 **The plot has officially changed and thickened!**

* * *

Karin fidgeted nervously as Team Taka made their way to the home village of her "secret" crush. What awaits them? She wondered. As they flew past trees and bushes alike quite hurriedly, Karin kept her chakra flow as steady and strong as ever, despite her emotional turns.

Sasuke was quite dim. She couldn't quite imagine how she fell for the Uchiha. Was it the looks? Was it his stench of bad-boyness? Or was it something that cannot be explained? Karin's thoughts flew to the past and she was reminded of her clan status. All destroyed, she knew as one of the last surviving Uzumaki, she had been drawn to the stark opposite of what her clan was made up of.

It had to be destiny, she thought inwardly.

With every inch of him, her eyes couldn't relish the sight enough. Even if one may be aware of his angsty attitude, one cannot deny the beauty the Uchiha clan had been blessed with.

Porcelain skin. A slender body. Never-ending depth in the blackness of his eyes. And the signature raven hair.

What should be a typical description of a nightmarish being, is somehow portrayed contrastingly by the elite clan. Confirming the beauty in the stereotypical image of darkness and evil. Just thinking about the existential weight put onto one by even being within the vicinity of an Uchiha was enough to put Karin into a admirable yet self conscious trance.

Know your place. She was all too familiar with the unfair hierarchical scale of beauty in this world. And with that bittersweet reminder, Karin was always known to put on a flirty fangirl facade. In reality, Karin couldn't stand her self disowning ways, but she knew all too well that this was the only way to establish her love for Sasuke. For any other way would surely end in ignorance on the Uchiha's end.

Karin's resolve was simple. The only person fit for an Uchiha is an Uchiha. She took it with a grain of salt, swallowed her feelings and proceeded to close up on Sasuke in an attempt to ensue one of her comical flirting tactics. However, she had been interrupted by an all too familiar masked man.

"Tobi?" Suigetsu said, alarmed.

The orange masked Akatsuki member had appeared before Taka abruptly, halting the hasty pursuing of Sasuke's village.

"What do you want?" Sasuke said, slightly annoyed, indicative of his furrowed brow and grit in his voice.

"My, my, Sasuke. What's the rush?" Tobi joked unfittingly.

Silence.

"Anywaaays, you missed Zetsu due to your haste. Whatever you're headed towards, hold on for a second and listen. Your orange clad, blonde headed ninja friend defeated Pein. Thus deeming him a worthier ninja than you. Shocking, right?"

Team Taka stood there, silently shocked.

This is bad, this is real bad. The red headed Uzumaki grew more panicked in anticipation at what Sasuke's reaction may be. Correct, she would follow him anywhere, but one should know that travelling with an emotionally disturbed Uchiha is like treading on thin ice. As much as she wanted to peek over the stoic figure of Sasuke to read his face, she restrained herself out of fear for the worst.

"Hn…" The Uchiha replied coolly, that being his signature signal to continue with the newfound information. Although almost completely out of sight, Karin could have sworn that she saw a clenched fist attached to the Uchiha's barely recognizable trembling figure.

Tobi sighed, unfulfilled, and proceeded to give intel on possible redemption for Sasuke.

"A Kage Summit will be taking place in a couple of days in the Land of Iron in regards to the Tailed Beast collection and its correlation with the Akatsuki. Maybe, just maybe, you could prove your superiority by stopping by for a _visit._ "

A few moments passed in silence due to a brooding team Taka.

Sasuke was now at a crossroads. No doubt this information would have enraged him and prompted him to prove his strength at the Summit, but this time around Sasuke felt all the feelings one would feel when a person's conscious is screaming no.

Why? He wondered. Something had totally disoriented him to the point of him not being able to realize who he was anymore. Here he was, scrambling to the village and debating over avenging his deceased brother as planned. His resolve was now muddled and gray.

Sasuke knew that the old him would agree to the proposition, so although his heart denied going to the Summit, Sasuke couldn't abandon his image as a determined avenger. So with one more quick thought, he moved to begin his sentence of confirmation and to direct his team to the Summit.

But his attempt was halted. Sasuke began feeling complete exhaustion. His breaths became rapid and his eyes widened. Black orbs could now only make out swirls of blurred negative space and his teammates crowding his line of sight.

He fell to his knees and began to suspect some sort of Genjutsu. Were they being followed? No. This seemed even more infiltrative than the most advanced Genjutsu he had come to know via his brother.

As everything started to blacken, a single voice rang throughout his mind, but he couldn't quite make out the utterances being put forth. He now found himself awake in his conscience.

I know this voice! He thought, remembering his encounter with an unknown ninja that had already infiltrated his mind once before. He then froze as he began to decipher the now clear female voice around him.

 _"Sasuke, you're not alone…"_

"Stop fucking with me!" Sasuke shouted in mental agony. Flashes of his past, the massacre and his comrades invaded his thought process to a point of mental anguish.

 _"You know what's right, Sasuke… You know what's important…"_

"Of course it's avenging my dead brother!" Sasuke retaliated.

 _"Wrong!"_

"I have no idea what you want me to say! Just please stop doing this. It's been you! You have been fucking up my resolve! Get out of my head! Get them out of my head. Naruto. Kakashi. Sakura. All of it, get it out of my head!"

 _"You cannot get out of your head what's in your heart…"_

"That's bullshit! My heart is completely empty! I am an Avenger, a tool, a sole survivor, I only depend on myself!"

 _"Sole survivor, huh?"_

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

 _"He never wanted it this way, your brother… He was one of the most selfless ninja I had ever met. It was so hard to say goodbye to him, knowing his fate…"_

"You knew my brother? Tell me, who are you? Please! I need to know!"

The instant Sasuke finished his sentence a hooded figure appeared before him at an incalculable speed. The only feature to be seen was a frowning female mouth. Sasuke soaked up what little he could of the figure hidden by a very conservative cloak.

 _"You really don't remember?"_ The female questioned with a tad of sorrow laced into her voice. " _Think, Sasuke. Remember me."_ She demanded.

She urgently grabbed the still frozen Sasuke by the shoulders with her slender fingertips, trembling with grief while doing so. Sasuke was shocked by the sudden vulnerability he felt coming from the ninja holding his shoulders.

He inwardly gasped when he realized the mysterious figure had let a couple of tears flow down to her chin. Her suppressed whimpers made the spectacle harder for the Uchiha to watch.

Sasuke couldn't explain it, but he swore he could feel the relatability in the cries he heard from the female ninja that was gripping at the white cloth on his shoulders. Although most of the time disgusted by human contact of the opposite sex, he couldn't find a reason to pry her hands off.

So there the two were, in his conscience.

After the cries died down and the tears had finally dried from the pale skinned female, she began to slowly lift her head.

Sasuke couldn't deny the anticipation that came with the light that slowly illuminated more parts of the unknown ninja's pale skin, slowly crawling across her cheeks to all too soon reveal her shut eyes.

With eyes closed, the ninja's face was fully illuminated that Sasuke could finally give a go at finding out who the hell this person may be.

One thing became apparent to Sasuke and that was the undeniable beauty of the face that had been revealed. The face adorned by a single beauty mark under the eye left Sasuke speechless.

Not once had Sasuke ever marvelled at the beauty of a woman, so this was an all too infamous Sasuke Uchiha first, accompanied with many others. Firsts such as the skip of his heart and the sweat accumulating in his cold palms.

His recount of firsts were ended by the new development of lashes fluttering open. And Sasuke was once again left speechless.

Eyes that bled red. Eyes with those familiar black markings. Eyes like his.

Before Sasuke could make a move. The not so anonymous ninja gripped his shoulders harder. Sh looked Sasuke in the eyes with tears welling up once again in her own and pulled Sasuke into a hug that could only be described as the most comforting human contact Sasuke had ever experienced.

In all his years, he couldn't recall a single hug since leaving Konoha. Not a single one. And although he would eat nails before admitting it, he had yearned for this long forgot human contact.

As he leaned awkwardly against the female figure, he found his head comfortable at the niche of her collarbone. And as much as his pride kicked in at the moment, his body could not resist the maternity that he ached for in the female's arms. That as well as the fact he was under whatever the hell kind of jutsu that made his self control this weak.

His conscious began to clear and his vision began to blur once again. But instead of feeling like some horrible Genjutsu, Sasuke had felt like he was laying on a bed of clouds. And as fast as he was pulled into her arms, he began to fall asleep.

Before nodding off and leaving his conscience completely, Sasuke was given one last statement by the female.

 _"Sasuke, I really hope… we can continue… our friendship from years ago…"_

"Fujiwara!" Sasuke gasped out.

Sasuke shot up from the ground only to realize he was surrounded by concerned teammates and the ever annoying Tobi.

"What did you say?" Suigetsu asked, curious. "Fujiwaka?"

* * *

Fujiwara's eyes shot open. Perspiration soaked her clothes and the bed sheets she was currently laying on. As she attempted to get up, exhaustion swept over her body instantly, prompting her to lay uncomfortable at an angle on the bed.

Worry clouded her eyes as her recollection of Sasuke came in waves. No doubt the jutsu she had placed was a tedious and alarmingly hard one to keep in tact, but she had managed to keep it with him until the right time struck. She wouldn't have imagined that while the jutsu took place she would be faced with a wound simultaneously. In short, her stamina was lower than usual and she did not like it one bit.

Cursing inwardly, she calmed her mind and settled her thoughts. Placing her hands on her throat to examine the wound, she found it was healing quite well and began to focus her chakra into mending the scar.

Her concentration was soon broken as footsteps began to approach her bedside. Without a glance, Fujiwara had already known that these footsteps were none other than Kakashi's. As he took a seat, regret laced with caution filled the visible parts of his face.

She sighed and painfully lifted herself to a sitting position. Then the gray haired ninja moved to speak.

"Fujiwara, was it? Look, I-"

"There's no need to apologize, Kakashi." Fujiwara said lightheartedly a smile placed on her lips and her hands still placed on her throat.

Kakashi sat there, trying his best to hide the surprise on his face. To Fujiwara, it was a spectacle that was quite amusing.

"Ah, either you took some psychology classes or you are not human." Kakashi laughed only half joking. His hand proceeded to scratch at the back of his head as he waited awkwardly for a reply from Fujiwara. Before deciding on just leaving the room, Fujiwara redirected her eyes to face Kakashi, her eyes piercing into his. After scooching closer to the edge of the bed, her smile had slowly begun to show more and more sincerity.

"I don't want you to feel any guilt for something you couldn't control. In actuality, I was expecting this outcome. You attacking me, was the reasonable thing to do, especially considering the current state of your beloved village. For that I admire you greatly, Kakashi. You get the job done without hesitation, with your comrade's well being in mind. So, even after you attacked me, I have nothing less than respect for you."

Speechless, Kakashi sat in awe, still keeping eye contact with her now shining giving off yet another forced laugh, Kakashi's tone began to take on more seriousness.

"How do you know all of this, my past, my tendencies, my ways? Is it some sort of special jutsu?" More and more, Kakashi had come to acknowledge that Fujiwara was wiser and smarter beyond her years.

Fujiwara gave off a condescending laugh that grew more and more reckless as it went on. After giving herself a mental note to calm down, she wiped the tears of amusement from her eyes and continued the conversation.

"Not telling! It's a secret!" She said childishly, while placing her index finger to her mouth and attempting to wink cynically, still keeping her right hand to her throat. Emphasis on the 'attempting.'

On second thought, Kakashi might have overestimated her maturity.

After feeling a bit more secure around the new ninja, Kakashi gained a resolve, sat up and padded closer towards Fujiwara. He reached into his ninja holster and retrieved a small cylindrical container, presumably filled with healing serum.

Fujiwara wished she could tell him his attempts to help with her wound was futile, due to the fact that the scare will soon heal and fade on it's own, but in some form she knew this was Kakashi's form of apologizing even after being told not to. So she let it be

Carefully unscrewing the cap and dipping his two fingers into the gelatinous substance, Kakashi had the expression of a child concentrating on an art project. He fumbled with closing the container one-handedly before placing it back into his holster and began making a reach with his non-medicine laden hand towards Fujiwara's defensive hand clasped around her neck.

After hesitating momentarily at pulling her hand away, he gently grabbed at the top of her had, pulling away to reveal a clean scar with a few blood spots surrounding.

Gasping lightly, Kakashi made a reach for her neck with his hand containing the serum and softly made contact with the healing wound. He felt her shudder at the contact of the cold serum to her pale skin and the brushing of his fingers to her wound but he remained collected and determined, massaging the rest of the serum into her neck. He found his hand lingering a bit longer than needed and staring at the hair that fell around the undamaged skin on her neck before realizing the situation and immediately averted his eyes.

Pulling away, he wiped his sticky hand to his flak vest and retreated back to his seat, looking off awkwardly.

"That serum is a miracle serum. Trust me, that scar will be no more within the next couple days. 100% Guarantee. I got it on a mission recently and use it on scars that may insinuate some embarrassment."

Fujiwara made a reach for her neck and gave a grateful smile to the Copy Ninja.

"Thank you Kakashi… Thank you for using something so precious on someone like me who forced her way into your village."

Kakashi was brought out of his awkwardness and gave a questioning look.

"What do you mean someone like you?"

"Kakashi… My full name is Uchiha Fujiwara. And my mission is to bring Sasuke back to Konoha. Itachi's orders."

* * *

"Sasuke. Oi, Sasuke!" Tobi called.

Suigetsu, Karin, Juugo and Tobi followed adamantly.

"Sasuke, what's our mission? Are we going to the Summit? Are we going to Konoha?" Suigetsu questioned.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks and lipped around quickly before giving Tobi a menacing look.

"Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo, you are to make way back to base with Tobi, no questions. _I_ am going to Konoha. If any of you or the Akatsuki have a problem with that I will deal with consequences later."

"Bu-bu-but Sasuke-kun! What about Team Taka and the Summit?! That is surely more important than seeking out whatever you are trying to find? Think ab-"

"Karin! No questions!" Juugo reiterated. As he began to drag Karin and her protests in the opposite direction. Suigetsu followed suit.

Tobi kept silent.

 _'_ _Welp, that didn't go as planned.'_ Tobi thought while making his way back to base.

 _'Actually, this may be the perfect opportunity…'_

In the distance, Sasuke made his way in the other direction. Determination in his eyes, he couldn't help but feel all his questions will soon be answered. And for the first time in awhile, he felt a little less lonely with her in mind. As his pace quickened towards Konoha, he knew that a journey like none other was ahead of him. And oddly enough, he was okay with that.

After hearing Sakura's words, Naruto was left silent. And after five minutes of contemplation, he made his way to the door to confront Fujiwara. Sakura, silent as well, followed Naruto curious at to what events may transpire next.

Naruto made a reach for the handle and found himself shaking.

 _'Fujiwara, who are you really? Could it be that you're also…?_

* * *

TBC

Fujiwara's Mission

Tsunade Awakening?


End file.
